Manchester City fans should be excited about having an extremely strong team once Pep Guardiola has completed his business in the transfer market, according Joan Laporta.

Laporta appointed Guardiola as Barcelona boss back in 2008 and met up with his close friend at an event for the Johan Cruyff foundation this week.

The ex-Barca president revealed the City manager was sounding very optimistic about 2017-18, despite finishing third and failing to win a trophy in his first season in England.

Laporta is in no doubt Guardiola will get it right and got the sense there was major transfer business on the horizon.

If City back him as he deserves he will succeed, Laporta told The Guardian.

He is an optimist, a winner and he is brave. He won t hide.

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Mikel Arteta never doubted he had what it would take to lead Arsenal after the Arsene Wenger dynasty – even if he was kept waiting for the top job.

The Arsenal manager paused only briefly to consider the ramifications of taking over a team built by Wenger and developed in the Frenchman s fashion.

It was Arteta s fearlessness regarding the possibility of failure that persuaded him to take up the Gunners post in December 2019, a full 18 months after he came close to being Wenger s immediate successor.

The Unai Emery era separated his Arsenal reign from Wenger s 22-year spell in charge, and Arteta has gradually built up the north London giants to the point where a return to the Champions League is tantalisingly close. A long-term plan to revive the glory years is…

Newcastle United are interested in signing Azzedine Ounahi from Angers in the January transfer window, according to . Ounahi has been playing well for Morocco at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, and Newcastle are among a number of clubs who have been impressed by the 22-year-old midfielder and are keen on securing his services when the transfer window opens in January.

Ounahi has been on the books of Angers since 2021 and is one of the best young players in Ligue 1. The 22-year-old midfielder has made 13 starts and one substitute appearance in Ligue 1 for Angers so far this season. During the 2021-22 campaign, the young midfielder made 16 starts and 16 substitute appearances in the league, scoring two goals and giving one assist in the process.

The youngster has been a regular…

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Bournemouth are set to welcome Aston Villa to the Vitality Stadium on Saturday for what should be a very exciting game, and it could turn out very important as well, as both teams seek to secure Premier League survival this season. The match will be a part of the 25th round of the season in the English top flight.

Bournemouth

The Cherries have had a disappointing campaign so far, there s no other way of putting it. The work manager Eddie Howe has done at the club in the last decade can only be described as magnificent, and ever since their promotion to the top tier in 2015, they ve mostly been a worthy opponent for any team. But it s quite different this time around, and they seem set for a a tough battle against relegation. There hav…

Fiorentina have sacked Vincenzo Montella for the second time after Friday s heavy home loss to Roma left them languishing down in 14th place.

The 4-1 defeat was La Viola s fifth in six Serie A games, a run that has them in danger of slipping into a relegation battle.

Montella replaced Stefano Pioli in April but failed to inspire improvement as Fiorentina finished last term without a league win beyond February 17.

The former Italy international previously led the club for three seasons from 2012 to 2015.

Club statement: Vincenzo Montella relieved of duties as Fiorentina coach.

FULL STATEMENT  

— ACF Fiorentina English  (@ACFFiorentinaEN)

Fiorentina said a new head coach would be confirmed in the coming days .

The …

Galatasaray have confirmed the double signing of Dries Mertens and Lucas Torreira.

The Turkish Super Lig side announced they were in negotiations for both players on Saturday, with images circulating on social media of the pair travelling to Istanbul from Milan.

Mertens, a free agent following the end of his nine-year stint with Napoli, has penned a one-year deal with the club.

The Belgium international won the Coppa Italia twice during his time in Naples and was a member of the Red Devils squad that came third in the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

At 35-years-old, Mertens is yet to announce his international retirement and could yet feature at this year s World Cup in Qatar, where Belgium will be in Group F alongside Canada, Croatia and Morocco.

Tor…

According to a recent report from Marca, Real Madrid are ready and willing to offer Federico Valverde a brand new contract which would keep him at the club until 2025. The Uruguay international has been able to establish himself as an integral part of Real’s first team squad this season as they continue to try and rebuild themselves from the ground up following the return of Zinedine Zidane. 

The Frenchman has made no secret of the fact that he wants to change things up within the club, and that clearly means the squad, too. Valverde wasn’t always viewed as someone that could really change the fortunes of Real, but that seems to have changed. 

Madrid are expected to have a busy January transfer window in terms of incomings and outgoings, but in many ways, we thi…

West Ham have signed Germany international defender Thilo Kehrer from Paris Saint-Germain in a reported £10.1million (€12m) deal.

Kehrer has penned a four-year contract at London Stadium with the option of a further two years and becomes West Ham s sixth signing of the window.

The 25-year-old has spent the past four seasons with PSG and played 128 times for the Ligue 1 side, a tally bettered only by five others since the start of the 2018-19 season.

He won seven trophies with the Parisians, including three Ligue 1 titles, and was part of the squad that reached the 2019-20 Champions League final.

At international level, Kehrer has been capped 20 times by Germany, with no player featuring more times since Hansi Flick took over as head coach in May 2021.�…

Manchester City inflicted more misery on former assistant Mikel Arteta and his 10-man Arsenal side with a resounding 5-0 win in Saturday s Premier League clash at the Etihad Stadium.

The Gunners were two goals down inside the opening 12 minutes through an Ilkay Gundogan header and Ferran Torres strike, before losing Granit Xhaka to a straight red card for a reckless challenge.

Gabriel Jesus and Rodri added to City s goals tally either side of half-time and Torres rounded off the scoring in the closing stages with his second of the contest.

Arsenal have now lost their opening three league games without scoring and remain in the relegation zone, while City have recovered from their opening-game defeat to Tottenham with back-to-back wins without conceding.

A…

Manchester United and England great Bobby Charlton has been diagnosed with dementia.

Charlton s wife Norma confirmed the diagnosis to the Telegraph and gave consent for the 83-year-old s condition to be reported to raise awareness of the condition.

United said in a statement: “Everyone at Manchester United is saddened that this terrible disease has afflicted Sir Bobby Charlton.

We continue to offer our love and support to Sir Bobby and his family.

Charlton, a survivor of the 1958 Munich air disaster, won the World Cup with England in 1966 and was his country s record goalscorer until Wayne Rooney overtook him in 2015.

The former midfielder also won three league titles at United and scored two goals in the final of their first European Cup win …